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Armenia commemorates centennial of 1.5 million massacred in 1915 as a result of World War I.
It will be a hundred years since 1.5 million were massacred in Armenia during clashes with the Turkish forces at the end of the First World War on the 24th of April. Armenians believe the massacre was the first genocide of the 21st century while the Turkey has continuously insisted it was the result of a Civil War as the Ottoman Empire collapsed as a result of World War I.
The fierce dispute still rages between the Turkey and Armenia to this day, in which mostly Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians were killed as victims of war.
Recently the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan held a special ceremony to show respect to those killed in 1915 and stated they will never forget their fallen. Entire cities were decorated with violet and golden banners with symbols of the massacre in English, Armenian and Russian. Some posters spelled out the year ‘1915’ while others demanded everyone to never forget the killings which took place.
Armenia neighbours the countries Azerbai/1//10//11//12/to the East, Turkey to the West, Georgia to the North and Iran to the South. On the death anniversary of the 1.5 million slayed Armenia displayed hostile sentiments in regard to its neighbours by dragging Turkish flags and displaying posters which ridicule Azerbaijan. Deadly clashes between both the countries still occur over the state of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Recently the German embassy passed a vote in parliament to give the Armenian massacre the name of ‘Genocide’ on insistence by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Turkey stated while they respect those fallen as a victim of war and can feel the pain of their Armenian brothers to place blame would not be prudent. Austria previously declared the slaying as a ‘Genocide’ upon which Turkey called back its Ambassador.
Source: USAToday